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Using Left Breast Only for Breastfeeding

Hi! I'm a first time mom and was able to breastfed my daughter for 3 months, mixed with milk formula because I didn't have enough breast milk. About 90% of my milk was from my left breast and barely fed her on my right breast. Are there any adverse effects that I should worry about on this?

Congratulations on breastfeeding your daughter for her first 3 months. This has given your daughter nutritional, developmental, emotional and social benefits. It is possible for a mum to exclusively breastfeed her baby (in the first 6 months of life and then alongside solid food from 6 months and beyond) from just one breast and provide everything that her baby needs. What is really key is that mum puts baby to the breast whenever baby shows any signs of wanting to feed - in the day and night. Newborn babies often feed every two hours.

Was there a physical reason why your baby fed mainly from your left breast or did you just both prefer this? Most babies/mums do tend to favour one feeding side.

I'm sorry to hear you didn't have enough breastmilk. This is a rare problem which affects about 3% of women. It's great that your daughter could still get many benefits of breastfeeding through mixed feeding.

For anyone following this thread - if you think you may have a low milk supply remember breastmilk works on a supply and demand basis. This means that you need to put your baby to the breast frequently enough in order to stimulate the breast to produce enough milk. If you are concerned that you have a low breastmilk supply then please seek the help of a lactation consultant who can help you. Expressing milk can help to build up your breastmilk supply, as can eating certain foods.

Please don't worry Mommy K you don't need to have any concerns about what you describe.

It is possible to continue to breastfeed your baby at night and on your days off. Any amount of breastmilk will continue to help your baby.
If you'd like more information on nighttime nursing please do let us know.